Daniel Maass discovered the power of VR & AR when seeking an option for 3D Modeling in the aerospace industry. It became clear to Maass and his business partner Thor Paulli Andersen, after using the technology, that it could be applied to uses far beyond 3D models – it could transform pilot training. “You can learn how to fly an aircraft. Since you have dual lenses, you can get the depth perception, you can learn how to fly, you can learn how to land, which is essentially one of the most difficult things when learning to fly an aircraft or get your certificate.”
Andersen, a flight instructor at the time, and Maass decided to start VRpilot. The company has been developing virtual reality training for aerospace procedures and cockpit familiarization ever since. The company specializes in VR content that is designed to maximize user immersion and realism.
Building a new training environment
The use of VR is growing substantially for highly technical job training in industries where training isn’t safe or effective with traditional methods. VRpilot identified the opportunity to use VR for aerospace training in 2019. Maass describes what the first training for pilots can be like, “When you become a pilot… you start with an assessment. It’s most likely the worst experience, ever to learn anything in. You’re up in the air, it’s the first time you’re flying. It’s dangerous. It’s noisy. It’s vibrating.”
The ability to train pilots without the risk or distractions of flying in real life was a game changer. Studies have also shown that students have an improved knowledge retention rate when they experience subjects in VR compared to a textbook or traditional lecturer, with the added bonus that students could explore topics at their own pace with VR content.
Adoption of VR training
Traditional pilot training is costly and varies significantly across different types of aircraft, each with unique procedures and equipment. Pilots often need flight simulators and one-on-one guidance, making large-scale training challenging. The industry has always aimed to have safer pilots, and VRpilot is helping airlines achieve that goal.
VRpilot created customized training dependent on the airline’s aircraft and training requirements and it has caught the attention of the industry. Companies like Republic Airways, Alaska Airlines, and DHL European Air Transport have adopted training from VRpilot.
How ManageXR helped VRpilot take flight
For a company with customers around the world, ManageXR was a crucial tool to help VRpilot manage devices and troubleshoot issues remotely. Maass shares, “The goal of VRpilot is to be the leading provider of procedure training for pilots and other jobs surrounding an aircraft. ManageXR is simply just making that happen.”
Home Screen
With ManageXR, VRpilot was able to create a customized home screen environment and lock down devices for customers. Home Screen customization was a critical need for VRpilot, “One of the reasons why I chose ManageXR is because you can make a home screen where you can limit what the user can do. You can make a nice custom home screen, display the different apps that should be applied to the customer…You can limit what the user can use the headsets for” (Maass). The ManageXR home screen makes it seamless to have full control over the user experience, with a reliable kiosk mode and options for brand customization.
Remote Streaming
Many airlines that VRpilot is working with are adopting VR for the first time. With Remote Streaming, VRpilot is able to remotely troubleshoot or guide users through the experience. Remote Streaming allows them to view the user experience in real-time, or remotely launch applications and see them load on devices in real-time.
Configurations
As the number of airlines using VRpilot grows, creating new configurations to deploy different experiences across devices has become crucial. With configurations, VR Pilot can efficiently share content, settings, and device-specific customizations in a streamlined manner. And, configurations made it easy to use the headsets for multiple types of classes by pushing updates with configurations in-between uses.
Take your XR program to the next level
VRpilot’s partnership with ManageXR has been pivotal in taking pilot training to new heights. By leveraging ManageXR’s robust features, VRpilot has been able to offer immersive, efficient, and safe training solutions to airlines around the world. Ready to revolutionize your training program? Get started with ManageXR today!